


It’ll be alright

by inarticulate_staccato



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A little, Alcohol, Based on a song, Breakups, Caring Draco Malfoy, F/M, Pining, Post Hogwarts, also some angst, it’s not what you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23431429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inarticulate_staccato/pseuds/inarticulate_staccato
Summary: I know I loved her but it’s over, now. You’ll find another and you’ll be just fine. It’ll be alrightBased on the song “it’ll be alright” by Dean Lewis
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	It’ll be alright

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on the song “it’ll be alright” by Dean Lewis. Highly recommend listening! 
> 
> My first work brought on by the extended break from school, comments and helpful critiques are welcome!
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I0czvJ_jikg

Draco Malfoy just wanted to enjoy his day. He had invited Blaise Zabini over for a drink, and was planning on getting absolutely smashed while having a bit of fun. But you know that funny feeling of dread that sometimes creeps up at you right before something bad happens? Yeah, Draco was feeling that now, just as the door to his study was tentatively pushed open.

She walked into the room without any of her usual arrogance, she seemed small. Meek, even. Draco’s eyes left the floor of his study, where he was still chuckling rather reluctantly at one of Zabini’s jokes. His eyes met hers and he was suddenly aware of the tears brimming in her normally sharp eyes. She dropped her eyes to the ground, shrinking away from his gaze. 

“Hey, love,” Draco tried, reaching for her hand. She pulled away gently, shaking her head. 

“Draco, I… There’s something I need to tell you”. The tears are spilling down her face now, her voice cracking as she tries to speak.  
“I made a dumb mistake” she whispers, more to the ground than to him. “Y’know that time when you found those cigarettes in the parlor, and I said they were a friend’s? Well, they weren’t. They were Theo’s. He-he stayed the night when you were on a business trip”.

He’s all but reading her lips as she sobs out the last bit, and as realization takes hold, he feels the color drain from his face.  
“Wh-what?” he asks, hoping against all hope that maybe there could be some logical solution for everything. That horrible, gut sinking feeling of loss is beginning to claw its way out of Draco’s chest. 

Blaise Zabini suddenly decides to remind them of his presence as he stands abruptly.  
“I think you should go,” he says coldly to her, and she nods, almost gratefully, and turns to leave the study. A comforting arm wraps around Draco's shoulders as he sits, stunned.  
“I know you love her, but it’s over, mate. It’s never easy to walk away, but let her go,” he says quietly. “Do you want me to stay?” he adds, almost as an afterthought.

“No. Maybe it’ll magically turn out like you said, Zabini, ‘it’ll be alright.’” Draco chuckled darkly, a haunting smile ghosting over his face. “It’ll be alright”. He reached for the firewhiskey that he and Blaise hadn’t even gotten to start on before she had entered the room. Blaise left with a rather concerned look on his face.

Draco sat in his bedroom later, hardly moving. After having drunk his way through most of the firewhiskey in his study, he had stumbled into his chambers and collapsed against the wall. If anyone had asked, of course, Draco would deny until his dying breath that he had been crying. That he was still crying. But nobody did ask, so he was saved the effort of having to argue. He had several feet of parchment spilled haphazardly across his lap, and with each word he read, fresh sobs threatened to escape, the lump in his throat growing more painful by the second. He had saved every small note shared between them, every time he had written about her in his journal (definitely NOT a diary), and every letter of correspondence between them when the war had torn them apart.  
“Fuck!” he shouted suddenly, ripping them in half. “FUCK FUCK FUCK”, he yelled, throwing them all into the fire.  
“Oh fuck,” he added quietly, almost sadly, as he watched them burn. 

He had thought about going to see her. To try to make it work, to get past everything. But then the memories of trying to hold her hand in the study came back to haunt him. The way she had pulled away, and he knew deep down that she had truly moved on. It wasn’t even really the fact that she had kissed Theo. It was the deep, aching feeling of betrayal that came back to him every time he tried to close his eyes and forget. But still, he wanted to crawl back to her. To promise to be good to her, to hold her close, to kiss her one last time while staring deep into her dark eyes. He just wanted to stay with her, no matter how much he knew that was wrong. 

A tapping at his window broke the silence of his thoughts. He slowly dragged himself up, snarling at the way he was forced to cling pathetically to the side of his bed in order to regain his balance. He threw open the window with a bit more force than was strictly necessary, earning himself a sharp look from the familiar eagle owl. He’d be damned if Zabini wouldn’t leave him alone for just one night. He promptly dropped the letter in surprise when it began to scold him in Blaise’s voice.  
“Didn’t think I'd let you off that easily, did you mate,” Zabini's smug voice filled the room.  
“Anyways, I know you’re pretending that you can’t hear me, but that isn’t going to stop me, y’know?”

Draco looked rather guiltily at the letter. Perhaps it was time to find some new friends. Preferably ones that didn't know him so well. And maybe also ones who didn’t kiss his girlfriend. Draco shook his head sharply and attempted to turn his attention to whatever Blaise was going to try to force him into. The letter went on rambling.  
“So me and a few guys are getting together at the Leaky cauldron, and you’re coming with us, even if I have to drag you like that time when you were ‘mauled’ by the hippogriff in third year”. The voice paused to chuckle, and Draco managed an impressive eye roll, protectively clutching his arm. “So bottoms up, Draco, we’re going to forget tonight. You can find somebody else to take you home, and you’ll be just fine.” Draco scoffed at that. If the wanker thought a few drinks could undo years of love gone bad... “Two hours mate, and I’m not kidding about the dragging part.” The letter once again interrupted his thoughts, and Draco leaned foreword to rest his face against the cool glass of the window.

Eventually, Draco sighed resignedly. Maybe the ‘forgetting tonight’ part sounded ok. And he knew Blaise really would stay true to his word and drag him in, so Draco decided he might as well get ready.

The dimly lit Leaky Cauldron was surprisingly full. It wasn’t really Draco’s scene, but he made his way straight to the bar and ordered a shot of Ogden’s finest, and set about looking for his friends.  
He spotted Blaise’s dark hair and tall frame along with several others, most of whom Draco hadn’t bothered learning the names of. Astoria Greengrass stood in the arms of Peter Selwyn, whom Draco really didn’t trust, but tolerated for Astoria’s sake. 

“Sorry, mate, Pansy’s a tosser”, she said, giving him what she seemed to think was a sympathetic smile. Draco just shrugged. 

Blaise sidled up beside them, giving Draco a punch on the shoulder that was just a bit too enthusiastic. He gave Draco a conspiratorial smirk and jerked his head, gesturing to somebody behind them. 

“Well, look who’s here. Gryffindor’s golden girl, all alone after her big breakup with the weasel”.  
Draco rolled his eyes but glanced behind them, spotting her trademark bushy hair before turning back to Blaise with an indifferent look on his face. “So?”  
“So you need somebody to take you home, Draco. Go talk to her, seduce her, and forget about Pansy for a minute!”  
Draco managed to pull a rather impressive sneer despite his somewhat drunken state.  
“Sure, Zabini. In your dreams. I’ll just go up to her, and she’ll magically have forgiven me for-”  
Draco was cut off when he realized he had been gesturing wildly and knocked somebody's drink from their hand. He spun around madly to see Granger, a wet spot slowly spreading across her jeans from her fallen drink.

“Malfoy!” She shrieked incredulously. “Great, just what I needed tonight”, she grumbled, already removing her wand to siphon out the spilled liquid.  
He would, looking back, never know what came over him in that moment. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was her tight muggle jeans.  
“Let me buy you a new one, Granger”, he offered.  
She looked rather surprised, but agreed. As they walked up to the bar, Draco had another funny lapse in judgement.  
“I’m sorry” he blurted. She gave him a rather odd look, but shrugged. 

“Nothing heals the past like time” she said softly. And then it was her turn for a lapse in judgement. “Do you want to dance?”  
Draco stared at her for a bit too long, but when she blushed and started to turn away, he realized his mistake. “Ah, fuckit, Granger.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the dance floor. And maybe he pulled her a bit too close for people who hadn’t seen each other in nearly five years. Again, blame it on the alcohol. But with the small brunette witch in his arms, Draco thought back to what Blaise had said. He thought of Pansy.  
I know I loved her but it’s over, now. You’ll find another and you’ll be just fine. It’ll be alright.

And for just a moment, he really was alright.


End file.
